Turimetta Beach in Early May

Turimetta Beach is a rather wild beach in Warriewood on the northern beaches in Sydney. I say wild because it feels rather untamed.. almost like you aren’t in Sydney at all. It is tucked away from houses, lights and almost always has decent sized surf crashing over the rock shelf. It is a seascape photographer’s paradise and every time you head there you are almost guaranteed to see at least 5 – 10 other photographers. I think the most I counted was around 25! It is the taming of the wild beast however as Turimetta is not forgiving and the roughness of the beach means the sandbanks and what is exposed is forever changing

I think I have paid 5 or 6 visits to Turimetta now and each time has been great but I havent quite achieved what I have wanted. In late autumn/early winter the moss grows on the unique rock shelves at Turimetta and it is a beautiful sight. You get these rocks covered in this lovely green moss for foreground interest.. giving you an opportunity to create a spectacular photo. I knew the sky wouldn’t behave on this morning.. it was forecast to be clear but I knew that the tide would be heading towards low around sunrise and that this might be one of my best chances to capture the moss this year. It took quite a bit of editing to bring the sky back in line with my photos and I feel like this place deserves a spectacular sky. I think I will try to get back there within the next month or so to give it another try.. hopefully the moons will align and give a great morning.

Usually each time I head to Turimetta I either have the wrong tide, too much sea spray, not enough cloud or too much cloud! Perseverance is key and I think I have at least now found the spot I will get the shot I am after. I vision it to be a cross between the first two shots in this blog post. Turimetta I would say is not the best place for a newbie.. but if you want to check it out just be mindful of a few things.

Never take your eye off the Ocean

Check the tides and swell before going to the beach. Know if the tide is going out or coming in and what the peak is.

Pay attention to where you are and how you can get away from the water

Be prepared to get salt spray all over yourself, your gear and your bag

Be comfortable with the idea that you will get wet feet and potentially more wet

Never take your eye off the Ocean

Be mindful there can always be larger sets of waves at different intervals that may come up much further than the last.

Get some alcohol swabs to wipe down your gear afterwards

If extremely cautious put your gear in a dry cupboard with some silica gel or rice once you return home

Never take your eye off the Ocean

To get there from the Eastern Suburbs I usually take this route. I find it is the quickest way first thing in the morning.. avoids a lot of Speed Cameras and misses a lot of traffic lights you will probably hit by taking the ‘shorter’ route along Pittwater Rd via the Spit Bridge. Usually I might substitute the Eastern Distributor for Cleveland St & Wattle St by taking the Fig Street onramp onto the Western Distributor to avoid the toll. For those of you coming from the Western, South Western or North Western Suburbs you basically just want to get on Mona Vale Rd.. follow it all the way until it hits Pittwater Rd and hang a right. I always park here in Peal Pl and then walk across the small park and down the path onto the beach. Be mindful you follow the path and dont tumble down the cliff face.

I am thinking I might write up some guides on places to take photos but this might come later on. I might just show people how to actually get there.. I think a lot of the adventure of seascaping is working out the finer details yourself and making your own path.

Till next time..

2 comments

“put your gear in a dry cupboard with some silica gel or rice once you return home”
Small enclosed space and a dehumidifier is also a great combo. I got a phone wet by dropping it in dee why lagoon. Turned it off and dried it as quickly as I could and removed battery. Left it 24 hours in a small space with a dehumidifier going at it full speed and the phone recovered enough to get my data. In fact it was still working 4-5 months later before I actually got bored of it and upgraded to a smart phone.